WBL stunner: Elida hands O-G first defeat

ELIDA - An elated Denny Thompson could not remember certain segments of Friday's game with Ottawa-Glandorf.

Thompson said he would need to watch the game film to see exactly what happened.

What Thompson did realize, however, was that his Elida boys basketball team gave No. 1 Ottawa-Glandorf its first defeat of the season when his squad slipped out of the Elida Fieldhouse with an exciting 58-55 Western Buckeye League victory.

"I can't tell you exactly what happened," Thompson said. "We watched the film this week and told the kids that this is what they are going to do (full-court pressure). We prepared all week.

"That was all them out on the floor ... the coaching ended after awhile. They came out and executed."

Elida (5-7, 1-3 WBL) had three players score in double figures, led by freshman Reggie McAdams' 13 points. McAdams also had five rebounds and two blocks.

Desmond Ragin scored 10 of his 12 total points in the first quarter. Ragin also came away with seven rebounds. Bo Mathias scored 11 points and had six rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs.

Josh Johnson led O-G (9-1, 2-1) with 11 points, while teammate Alex Schomaeker made three 3-pointers for his nine points.

Last season, Elida defeated O-G early in the season. After that loss, the Titans regrouped and went on to win the Division III state title

O-G coach Josh Leslie said his team did not come ready to play.

"I'm not sure what to say," Leslie said. "These guys have to realize that everybody is going to throw their best (effort) at us. We have to come ready to play from the start."

Elida had little trouble in getting past O-G's full-court pressure in the first quarter. The Bulldogs made 9-of-15 of its field goal attempts in the first quarter. McAdams hit two 3-pointers in the quarter to go along with Ragin's 10 points, leading Elida to a 20-14 lead at the end of one.

All of Ragin's first-quarter points came from down low as he slipped inside several times for putbacks. Ragin also came away with five rebounds in the first quarter.

Leslie said once his team was down in the first quarter, it was difficult to battle back.

"When you don't score, you cannot press," Leslie said. "We did not rebound well, go after the loose ball, or shoot well. We just cannot come out and play catch-up like that."

Elida opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run. McAdams' basket, along with a 3-pointer by Mathias, pushed the Elida lead to 25-14.

The Bulldogs led 30-25 at the halftime break. In the first half, O-G shot a dismal 26 percent (7-of-27), while Elida shot 46 percent (12-of-26).

For the game, the Titans shot 31 percent, while the Bulldogs countered with 48-percent shooting from the floor.

Thompson said his squad did a good job of capitalizing on O-G's mistakes.

"A lot of our runs were created by their turnovers," Thompson said.

By the end of the third quarter, Elida extended its lead to 50-38. The Bulldogs ended the quarter with an 8-0 run that culminated with a 3-pointer by Todd Kraft right before the buzzer.

O-G battled back, outscoring Elida 17-8 in the final eight minutes of action.

The Titans had one last opportunity but Taylor Kuhlman's 3-point attempt rimmed out at the final buzzer.

"It was too little, too late," Leslie said. "We have to come ready to play from the tip."